January 30, 2014
Australia criticises NZ’s treatment of Maori
Australia’s special visa policy may be making life difficult for many whanau Maori and other New Zealanders who have moved across the Tasman in recent years, but it has piled on with other countries in criticising New Zealand in a regular United Nations review.
The second Universal Periodic Review of New Zealand will be adopted in Geneva today.
The UPR process, which came out of a 2005 review of the United Nations Human Rights Council, aims to periodically examine the human rights performance of all 193 UN member states.
The report includes Australia’s recommendation that this country continue to address inequalities affecting human rights in the areas of health, education, employment and income that disproportionately affect Maori and other minority groups.
With regard to the Treaty of Waitangi, indigenous peoples’ rights, and constitutional issues relating to Maori, Norway called for concrete measures to ensure the implementation and promotion of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Slovenia thinks New Zealand should look for ways to address Maori concerns over the Treaty settlement negotiation process, as well as strengthen efforts to secure Maori political participation at the national and local government level.
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